Advocacy | #CanDoMusic

How do I lead Music in a Primary School?

Cando Music — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:00:01 +0000

6 minute listen

Starting a new academic year, new job, new school, new subject leader responsibility poses the same question; where do I start? For some it will include the additional question; Is there anyone who can help me?

I was a Primary School teacher for 10 years, and during that time worked with resources such as Sing Up, and Music Express. Since 2016 I’ve worked in the arts and cultural sector for an Arts Council England Bridge organisation and learnt about so many local, regional and national organisations supporting children and young people to access great music opportunities. Ranging from freelancers to the Royal Opera House. I met specialists at Magic Acorns using music to support the development of speech and language in Early Years and an organisation so passionate about getting children Into Opera they designed a whole school programme across the curriculum.

I joined the Music Mark team as Schools Lead in October last year and I am still finding out about ever more organisations and resources that exist to support the delivery of music for children and young people. It is my hope that, united with #CANDOMUSIC colleagues, we can get Primary Music teachers and leaders all the support and encouragement they need so that music in their school is accessible, vibrant, diverse and joyful.

Undertaking the leadership of a new subject can lead you towards a subject association or a quality mark. You want to establish and announce that the school cares about your subject to the community.

As part of my last role I ran training and support for the Arts Council England’s creative quality mark Artsmark. This is a whole school development tool for all arts and creative subjects, so I have witnessed great changes in how schools improve their music provision within this framework. Some starting from very low confidence and making improvements using a scheme like Kapow or Charanga’s English Model Music Curriculum Scheme. To those who were confident, and enhanced their offer by working closely with their local Music Education Hub to perform at awe inspiring venues.

To lead music in your Primary school successfully

I would encourage you to consider these 3 things:

1. Statutory and non-statutory guidance.

A good place to start is by planning ‘what has to be covered?’. Look under our #CANDOMUSIC resources tab and filter by ‘guidance’. You will find digestible articles on; The national plan for music, the model music curriculum and ofsted’s subject review into music. There are many sessions to help you to understand these documents and put them into practice across your school. Check what your local music hub are offering.

2. Passion.

Whether experienced, or lacking confidence, you should be excited and passionate about music; it becomes infectious and makes it fun.

Use our #CANDOMUSIC ‘advocacy’ resources to show your colleagues and senior leaders why music matters.

Look through our #CANDOMUSIC ‘CPD’ resources to upskill yourself or signpost to less confident colleagues.

3. Make Connections

Whether you are in a large 3 form entry setting or a small roll number with mixed age classes you can connect with other practitioners and perhaps engage in new projects. Reading our #CANDOMUSIC blogs will help you see what is possible and will inspire you in your own music leadership. New blogs are added every term.

You will be pleased to know that supporting you is the central mission of the 3 subject associations for music coming together to create this website. We encourage you to use the #CanDoMusic hashtag on social media to highlight transformative practice and share common challenges.

Since joining the Music Mark team in October, I have already been saturated with awareness of great professional development opportunities and equipment that exists to enable and enthuse teachers. As an aside, You will be forgiven for having the misconception that I had: Music Mark is in-fact NOT a quality mark for schools to prove that they have good music provision. It is a membership organisation and subject association. Along with many of the other organisations linked in this blog, we are here to support you.

So many conferences happen nationally for music education; since October I have already attended Music Teacher Magazine, Music Mark annual conference and Music Education Solutions central conference. There is also the Music and Drama EXPO coming up in February.

With a full teaching commitment and tight budgets you couldn’t possibly get to all of these, but by using the #CANDOMUSIC hashtag we can share our learning with others on a national scale. If you are time poor use the hashtag and reach out to the #CANDOMUSIC online community to find out what other people are valuing in their Primary classroom.

One thing I know for sure, and will not take for granted, is that there are so many amazing organisations working to help you be the best Primary Music Leader. I need #CANDOMUSIC to help me find them all, do you?

“Music is a Must”, and one School tells us why…

CanDoMusic — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

6 minute listen

Caroline Gale and students from Guildford County School remind us why continuing to make music is essential and worth every effort.

This was first published in September 202o when, changing government restrictions, a sense of uncertainty, and the prospect of an impending extended lockdown, were the everyday reality.

“I absolutely cannot stress enough how important music (and the arts) are in schools. It gives the opportunity to create and massively builds confidence and teamwork / social skills.”

“Music made me want to go to school because it has the unique ability to bring people together.”

“Music education has been the backbone and the grounding to everything I have done. There was continual, mutual inspiration from unexpected places around the classroom from the tuition, peers, and the process which has benefited my outlook on and collaborative work I’ve done since then.”

– Quotes from music students past and present at Guildford County School

Caroline Gale, Director of Music and Head of Creativity at Guildford County School, talks to us about the vital life skills built into a musical education.

Music is a unifying energy that creates an environment for personal accomplishment through a continuous, ever-evolving creative process. Music helps to develop a lifelong skillset and is a source of undoubted satisfaction. Education needs to provide a platform for life-enhancing opportunities, a platform to be heard and a platform that encourages us to be strong enough to be ourselves. It exposes the fullness of humanity, nurturing the emotional and spiritual, as well as the academic.

Music equips us with the ability to feel compassion, to embrace multiple perspectives, to understand that small, often subtle differences can have large effects and allows us to express what cannot often be said. It teaches that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. It teaches us how, not what, to think.

As musicians and educators, our focus is to ignite, equip, prepare and organise an understanding of the world. One that responds to and sees the value and balance in logic and process alongside the aesthetic and in exploration, imagination and interpretation. By promoting and supporting the learning of instruments and singing, we catalyse the development of cognitive capacity and memory skills; fine motor skills and dexterity; problem-solving and nuance.

What greater preparation for life than understanding that all aspects of performing (be it musical, academic or in any form of presentation) happens in real time. Music creates an immediacy that requires us to be present and ‘in the moment,’ as well as being aware and capable of reacting under pressure. Music inherently calls us to understand the big picture – the end result, before we start to break down our practice, rehearsals and our planning. This cannot be a rushed process, as music rarely has a definite answer. It, therefore, relies on self-discipline, stamina, resilience, clear communication skills, spontaneity and genuine emotion but, can only bear fruit as a result of focused efficient, patient and structured, often incremental, preparation. The overarching influence of music lessons and rehearsals creates an unquantifiable sense of freedom, positivity and mental gain. It becomes far more than just a curriculum.

At Guildford County School, there is an understanding that the impact of music and creativity is an integral part of our whole school ethos. From orchestrating lessons, rehearsals, events, meetings, strategic documents and CPD opportunities, to understanding that the rhythms and practical applications of learning demonstrate interconnected, cohesive and cumulative approaches.

Music inspires curiosity through the learning journey. It teaches us acceptance of being vulnerable, to have the strength to see mistakes as a necessary part of the flexible learning process. Learning to progress and excel as individuals as well as fostering inclusivity, collaboration, pride and unity of intention happens both in the classroom and in ensembles and choirs. At Guildford County, this unity of intention is partly driven by our sixth form Music Ambassadors who co-run and chair our music council; a feature of the whole schools approach to student voice and modelling. The focus of which, is centred around keeping music alive across many applications and platforms.

Music has been the very lifeline for so many during lockdown and a sharp reminder of the importance of breaking down preconceived barriers, eroding judgement and evoking empathy, understanding and connection. Music allows us to truly listen, not just to hone, refine and mould the creation of sound, but in order to fully understand each other which, in an increasingly dislocated world, is a vital and unique quality that the power of music, as a universal language, offers.

If we really are to prepare our students for tomorrows world, music is the core strength that forms the foundation for so many learning skills and approaches.

If you would like to learn more about the practical ways you can put Caroline’s vision into action, head back to the CanDoMusic main site for regularly updated guidance, tips, and resources.

Advocating for Music in Schools

CanDoMusic — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

4 minute listen

While #CanDoMusic offers practical resources to keep music in schools, there is often a major obstacle to adopting these: convincing your school’s senior leadership team.

Here is our advice for making the case for a music education that is creative, imaginative and inclusive.

Inclusive value versus cost

If you want to persuade your decision-makers, you can start by helping them see that music lifts everyone in the school and not only those studying it. In other words, you want them to appreciate the value of expenditure on music rather than simply thinking about the cost implications.

While that’s often easier said than done, here are five types of evidence you can easily use to make your case:

Stories from pupils, parents and your local community to make your point in their words.
Evidence to prove that all pupils have opportunities to enjoy formal and informal concerts in your school.
Data on the involvement (and impact upon) children who are; looked after, entitled to pupil premium support and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Expertise from your local music education hub or service.
Academic studies – for example researchers have shown that studying music helps students perform better in their other classes.

Music matters beyond the classroom – employability and skills

Taking a step back from the school setting, there are other powerful arguments why SLT should not underestimate music’s impact on young people. An education that includes arts subjects can be a huge benefit in the jobs market. For example, the UK’s Creative Industries contribute almost £13 million every hour and are the fastest growing part of the UK economy. But even beyond that sector, employers appreciate the importance of hiring creative and ‘intellectually curious’ thinkers. Obviously, this is not just limited to music, so there is an opportunity to work with teachers of other creative subjects to try to influence your SLT collectively and advocate together. So, while there are no guarantees in an increasingly uncertain jobs market, studying arts subjects in a balanced curriculum is clearly an advantage amidst the volatility.

Ultimately once the potential of music is unleashed, there’s really no limits to what it can do to help pupils. Schools play an important role in supporting positive mental health. Music is a subject that provides a chance for creative expression and collaboration so will help pupils develop the social skills to thrive in whatever they choose to do with their life. But these positive impacts are especially pertinent in light of Education Policy Institute research. That showed that poorer students are 20.1 months behind their wealthier peers at GCSE Music on average, while disadvantaged students are 38% less likely to study it at all. No pupil should be deprived of these opportunities and we must not deprive others of the talent that could be uncovered.

Young people love music

Perhaps the best argument for music education is also the most simple. Pupils love how engaging and inspiring it is. That is why the ISM, Music Mark and the Music Teachers’ Association launched #CanDoMusic. We are celebrating the innovation of educators with free resources and ensuring that music is at the heart of school life. All educators want to provide a rich learning experience that prepares young people for life. Music must be part of that.